17 September 2009
Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator
Penny Wong, today announced that she has
asked the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission (ACCC) to provide further advice
on rules for accreditation as part of the
water infrastructure charge rules.
The Minister publicly
released the ACCC's advice, including draft
rules, on the water infrastructure charge
rules in July. The ACCC recommends that
a single regulator (the ACCC) undertake
all price determinations across the Basin
under the water charge rules.
“Some stakeholders have
indicated that they would like the opportunity
to have state regulators accredited to carry
out determinations under the water charge
rules,” Senator Wong said.
“In response to these
concerns, I have decided to ask the ACCC
to consult and provide further advice on
rules that provide for accreditation. Any
accreditation model will need to achieve
the Basin water charging objectives and
principles of the Water Act 2007.
“The ACCC's consultation
process will be critical in delivering the
future water charging arrangements across
the Basin and I strongly urge all stakeholders
to participate.
“I will make my decision
on the water infrastructure charge rules,
including accreditation arrangements, once
I receive further advice from the ACCC.”
Senator Wong has asked
the ACCC to provide further advice by February
2010.
More information about
the water charge rules can be found on the
ACCC website: www.accc.gov.au .
+ More
Study of climate change
impacts on Tasmanian east coast rock lobster
fishery
Media release
PW 266/09
15 September 2009
Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator
Penny Wong, today released a case study
report on the vulnerability and adaptive
capacity of Tasmania's east coast rock lobster
fishery system to climate change.
The report - East coast
Tasmanian rock lobster fishery - vulnerability
to climate change impacts and adaptation
response options - predicts future climate
change impacts on the system and assesses
the capacity of rock lobster fishers to
adapt to predicted climate impacts.
It identifies a range
of possible adaptation responses available
to resource users and managers on the east
coast of Tasmania - an area already experiencing
the impacts of climate change.
"Climate change
is already having an impact on species,
habitats, and ecological communities in
the area and this is expected to continue
in the future, impacting on dependent industries,
such as the rock lobster industry,'' Senator
Wong said.
"The east coast
of Tasmania has experienced warming over
the last few decades at three to four times
the global average and this has been impacting
catches for a considerable period."
The team - led by Dr
Gretta Pecl of the Tasmanian Aquaculture
and Fisheries Institute - included researchers
from the University of Tasmania, CSIRO Climate
Adaptation Flagship, Tasmanian Department
of Primary Industries and Water, University
of Washington.
"The report provides
industry and government with longer term
horizons to plan adaptation and management
and demonstrates how actions today should
consider climate change projections,"
Professor Colin Buxton, Director of the
Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute,
said.
Tasmanian Rock Lobster
Fishermen's Association chief executive
officer Rodney Treloggen said industry involvement
in the project had raised awareness of the
significance of climate change to the industry,
and would encourage the industry to be more
proactive.
"A well informed
industry will be more proactive and will
therefore more effectively manage the impacts
of climate change, compared with an industry
that ignores the threat," Mr Treloggen
said.
The report is available
at www.climatechange.gov.au .
+ More
$1.5 million to assess
climate change impacts on groundwater
Media release
2 September 2009
PW 255/09
The Rudd Government will provide $1.5 million
for a project to help water managers better
understand the expected impacts of climate
change on Australian groundwater resources.
Minister for Climate
Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, made
the announcement in Griffith with Parliamentary
Secretary for Water, Dr Mike Kelly.
"Australia faces
major challenges in securing our water supplies
in the face of a drying climate and rising
demand for water," Senator Wong said.
"The Rudd Government
is working to meet these challenges through
our $12.9 billion Water for the Future Program.
Key priorities under Water for the Future
are taking action on climate change, securing
our water supplies, using water wisely and
supporting healthy rivers.
"As reduced water
availability increases pressure on both
surface water and groundwater resources,
we need better information on how much water
Australia's groundwater systems can provide.
"This knowledge
is crucial to helping us plan and make decisions
about our water resources."
The project will investigate
how climate change is expected to affect
rainfall, along with water losses through
evaporation and water use by plants. It
will then determine the impact of these
factors on groundwater recharge and base
flows to water systems at a regional level.
Dr Kelly said the project
would build upon the sustainable yields
work undertaken by the CSIRO in the Murray-Darling
Basin, Northern Australia, South West Western
Australia and Tasmania.
"Importantly, the
investigations in the Murray-Darling Basin
will provide up-to-date information to assist
the Murray-Darling Basin Authority in its
preparation of the new Basin Plan,"
Dr Kelly said.
To be implemented from
2011, the Basin Plan will include a new,
scientifically-based, sustainable limit
on the use of both surface water and groundwater
in the Basin.
The project announced
today was initiated by the National Water
Commission to help integrate climate change
adaptation into groundwater planning and
management. More information is available
at www.nwc.gov.au
Funding was provided
under the National Groundwater Action Plan,
which is investing in projects to improve
groundwater knowledge and guide reforms
agreed to under the National Water Initiative.
